Yesterday evening was the preview of our Alfons Bytautas exhibition, featuring over 50 paintings and collages produced over the last two years. In these exciting and vibrant new works, Alfons is exploring what he calls "a tug of war between figuration and abstraction":

“I have been surprised as to how these imaginary geometrical or natural forms seem to mutate.  The images are constructions or arrangements in which certain motifs emerge continuously through the process of re-ordering.  By adopting a playful approach, images seem to emerge that are suggestive of cell structures, geological cross-sections or archaic symbols.” – Alfons Bytautas

Born in Selkirk in 1955, Bytautas studied painting at Edinburgh College of Art, where he first began to develop his life-long interest in the technique of etching. Soon after graduating in 1979, he started to collaborate with Edinburgh Printmakers, working for 30 years as a Master Printer and Senior Etching Technician. In 1983, he studied at the Parisian printmaking studio, Atelier 17, with the celebrated painter and printmaker Stanley William Hayter.

Having widely exhibited over the last 30 years, Bytautas was elected an Associate Member of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1994 and became an Academician in 2006. In addition to his accomplished work as an artist, Bytautas holds a position at the Fine Art Printmaking Studio at Northumbria University, in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Here are some images from our recent Poetry at The Sutton Gallery reading with Luke Allan, Frances Presley and Gavin Selerie. It was a great evening so many thanks to all who made it along. In the background is our Alfons Bytautas exhibition!